CEBU CITY, Philippines — As the world prepares to welcome 2026, countries will celebrate at different times. Because the Earth has 38 time zones, it takes about 26 hours for the New Year to reach every corner of the globe—even though a day has only 24 hours. This might sound confusing, but here’s why: some countries use half-hour or even 45-minute time offsets, and the first and last time zones are far apart. For example, Kiritimati (Christmas Island) in Kiribati celebrates 2026 14 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), while Baker Island in the Pacific celebrates 12 hours behind […]... Keep on reading: New Year 2026: Who celebrates first?